Automatic switch.



D.- BEAUDENON.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1910.

1,041,951. I Patented Oct. 22, 1912..

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DIDIER BEAUDENON, OF ST. OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

Application filed February 1, 1910. Serial No. 541,300.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dmnm BEAUDENON, a citizen of the Republic of France,of 131 Avenue Frayce, in the city of St. Ouen-sur- Seine, Republic ofFrance, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to automatic car controlled switches and has forits object the provision of a novel track switch provided with actuatingdevices arranged adjacent the rail in a new manner and adapted foroperation, by suitable apparatus carried by the car.

The invention is set forth fully hereinafter and the novel features arerecited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a section oftrack and switch points with my invention applied thereto, the actuatinglevers being in section. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation lookingtoward the actuating mechanism, and Fig. 3 is a detail showing theconnection between the switch point and the coupling rod.

The rails are shown at B and the switch points at O.

M is a coupling rod for the switch points, said rod being provided witheye bolts N secured to the switch points. Slidable on the rod M is asleeve or tube K which is adapted to play between and to engage thecollars L on the rod M and, according to the direction in which it ismoved to shift the switch points O one way or the other.

H represents springs secured to a track member and I toggle linksengaged with the springs and with the sleeve K.

G is a bellcrank lever, suitably pivoted at its elbow, and connected tothe sleeve K. Disposed longitudinally of the rails is an actuating bar Ewhich is pivoted to the bellcrank lever G, and has vertical slots 6, ewhich receive an arm of each of the bellcrank levers D, D, the saidlevers being connected by a spring F. On their other and upper ends thelevers carry rollers or wheels C, C which are engaged with theunder-side of the head of the rail or disposed adjacent thereto.

The roller A is carried by the car and adapted to be positioned toengage either of the rollers C, C. If the car is moving in the directionof the arrow 64, the roller A passing over the roller C, actuates thelever D which then moves in the slot 6 and against the end 0 thereof.When the roller A passes over the roller C, the lever D which is thenagainst the left-hand end 0 of the slot 6 by virtue of the previousshifting of the bar E, is actuated, thereupon causing shifting of theswitch points to a position shown by dotted lines. The movement of thebar E throws the bell crank lever G and actuates the sleeve K. Thelongitudinal movement of this sleeve causes the toggle links I to pushthe springs H apart, thereby putting them under tension, so that as soonas the middle line or dead center is passed, said springs clamp thetoggle links again and throw the sleeve to the end of its stroke. In sodoing it strikes one of the collars L on the rod M and thereby suddenlyand forcibly throws said bar lengthwise and shifts the switch points.The springs thus not only throw the switch, but serve to lock it againstany return movement until the bar E is thrown in the other direction bythe action of the levers D D. The same effect is produced if the car ismoving in the direction of the arrow 1), in which case, the moment thebar E is displaced by virtue of the engagement of the roller A with theroller C, the righthand end 0 of the slot 6 is thereby thrown intoengagement with the lever D and consequently, when the roller A strikesand passes over the roller O, the lever D will shift the bar E in thedirection of the arrow 6 and the switch points 0 will be shifted totheir original position shown by full lines. The spring F serves toreturn and maintain the rollers G, C against the under-side of the headof the rail B after the car has passed for the purpose of preventing mudor stones from the track getting in between the rollers and the head ofthe rail, which would thereby interfere with the operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic track switch, the combination with a movable trackswitch member, of means for shifting said track switch member, anactuating mechanism therefor having movable members both normally inposition to be actuated from the car while moving in either direction,spring means 00- operating with said movable members, an actuating bar,and a lost motion operative connection between said movable members andsaid bar.

2. In an automatic track switch, track switch operating means embodyingan actuating bar, levers having a lost motion operative connectiontherewith and both positioned normally for operation from the car, andspring means for holding said levers in engagement with the bar andbiasing them toward each other.

3. In an automatic track switch, track switch operating means embodyingan actuating bar, levers positioned and adapted for actuation from thecar, loose operative connections between the respective levers and thebar, and a coil spring connecting the said levers together.

4. In an automatic track switch, the combination with switch points anda coupling bar therefor, of a member movable in rela tion to said barand having a loose operative connection therewith, whereby the bar isactuated at the limits of the movement of said member, an actuating baroperatively connected to said member, and spring-actuated movablemembers adapted to shift said bar and themselves adapted for operationfrom the car.

5. In an automatic track switch the con1- bin-ation with two switchpoints, of a rod connecting the same, collars on said rod, a sleevesliding loosely between said collars, springs adjacent to said sleeve,toggle links connecting said sleeve with said springs, an actuating barconnected with said sleeve and means for actuating said bar upon thepassage of the car.

6. In an automatic track switch the combination with two switch points,of a rod connecting the same, a sleeve sliding on the said rod andadapted to actuate it, springs adjacent to said sleeve, toggle linkspivoted to said sleeve and to said springs, and arranged to pass thedead center at each actuation of said sleeve, and means for ac tuatingsaid sleeve upon the passage of the car.

The foregoing specification of my improvements in switching signed by methis 21st day of January, 1910.

DIDIER BEAUDENON.

*Witnesses ADoLrHE OI-IEVANET, J. GUSTAVE EHOUVENIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

